Intertwined Worlds
by TearsAndHeartbreak
Summary: A twisted game of mixed-up drama. Of secrets and of lies. Of friends and of betrayals. Of competition and popularity. Of tears, and of love. This, is high school-a game where everyone plays along, for merely the sole purpose of survival. And once it begins, there's no more turning back. Current status: Pending for adoption by VPvirtuoso.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hey! Not much to say here. Rookie writer, first story, hoping for good feedback (and many reviews, hehe). Story mostly based on real-life—with ten times the exaggeration of course. Just a retell of all the drama I experienced during my high school years, the stereotypes of high school and the different kinds of love relationships common during these years and the different interactions, which involves a lot of people by the way, so I decided to write it with the CCS fandom. I don't know much about the anime/manda honestly. Oh, and another thing: I really don't know how the schooling system works in Japan, so I based it in our country. Here in the Philippines, school starts early June and ends late March, sometimes until April.

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**I do not own CCS. I only own the OC's and the plot. If ever anyone of you has read something like this before, or a story with a similar plot, then it is purely coincidental. **

**I didn't run through this the second time, so please notify me for any errors you may spot. **

**Please check my profile as well!**

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**Prologue**

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_November 13, 2012_

A seemingly frail girl would walk by the school's corridors each day, her head hung down low and small, pale hands clasped tightly around her books pressed against her chest. **She** **was the outcast. The loner.** And people would just brush past her with a judgmental look, never caring to look beyond the girl with unkempt raven hair, bangs quite long and eyes concealed by round glasses. She was a glass, easily shattered, easily broken.

But not transparent.

No one ever saw beyond her glasses. No one ever saw the beautiful pair of eyes with a rare, captivating shade of lavender hidden behind it. No one ever saw her for who she really was. She was a girl shrouded with mysteries, concealing her beautiful, real self with a disguise, the reason only known to her alone, and no one else. She didn't let anyone in her heart, made as hard as a brick after all the events that had transpired in the past.

She had come to thinking that no one would ever be able to understand her pain.

But someone will.

And their paths have yet to cross.

She opened her locker slowly, careful to make any noise, took out the things she needed and made to left in peace. But she was, however, blocked by a figure a foot taller than her, yet not a single sign of surprise could be traced from her face. She had expected it after all, already being a part of her daily routine.

She looked up, seeing that familiar devious smirk…

From no other than Tomoeda High's "Queen".

She was the very definition of beautiful and appealing, a chic in every way with a bold sense of fashion…which showed way too much skin. She doesn't really like wearing their school's uniform, but was never scolded by anyone—teachers and even the principal. She got all the attention. Boys would crush on her and girl would want to be her, and she wasn't afraid to admit—she totally loved her popularity. Who wouldn't?

She had a strong personality. Intimidating. Oppressing—like a hungry predator to its poor prey…

That just happened to be the fragile girl which stood before her.

She was a fierce attacker, one who loved tearing people far below her to shreds. She feasts on their pain. She laughs at their sorrow.

**A bully.** **No, a ****_bitch_****, to be more precise.**

And she herself admitted it, with not one trace of remorse in her shrilly voice. In fact, she seemed to be rather…_proud_ of it.

She murmured something to the other, and slowly raised the cup of water she was holding.

The outcast stayed still. She wouldn't be able to fight back; she was defenseless, for it was stated in an unwritten rule of their school that no one must ever, ever, dare to go against their Queen. Anyone who had tried to do so in the past only regretted it right after.

However, there is one exception to that certain rule.

Well, _two_ to be exact.

Just in the nick of time, a pair of twins came rushing past between them, making the queen spill water on her instead. Accident or not (it was more likely the latter), she sure wasn't happy about it, yet she could do nothing but only glare at the direction at which they ran off too, leaving only echoes of joyous laughter behind.

**They were the class clowns, the school pranksters**—a boy and a girl perfectly alike in every other way, two mischievous, childish, twin twelve year olds lost in a bunch of emotionally disordered teens. At such an early age, they had been admitted to Junior High, being known as "gifted prodigies". And they were—that was a positive side of them. Well…the _only _positive side to them. Everyone in Tomoeda High was smart enough to never mess with the two—if they ever want to be spared from the widespread embarrassment which the pair's pranks brought.

And guess what? They have actually embarrassed the Queen in front of the whole school body before. Once. Twice. No…countless times already!

Yes, on the surface, they were all fun and games.

But no other could compare to the burden they felt deep inside.

Time works in funny ways, and for the boy, his time was almost up. And the girl would always weep, every single night, dreading the day that her other half would leave her.

_Forever._

And when that time comes…

She didn't know what to do.

Feeling a bit of satisfaction knowing that they had spared the mysterious outcast from the clutched of that "ugly meanie", they exchanged smiles and turned into another hall, away from al the ruckus they had created.

Yet another scene welcomed them.

There in the middle of the nearly empty hallway, stood two figures—a couple to be exact.

But they weren't just any couple.

They were the school's most popular tandem; with contradicting natures yet a perfect match made in heaven.

Or were they?

**He was the school jock, a player of hearts, **making all the girls fall for him through sweet lies and fake promises, only to have their hearts crushed after he was done with them. He was a jerk, a bastard…

Yet she still loved him.

**She was the scholar, a straight A's student, **popular in school and just happened to be the jock's pretty little girlfriend at the moment. She knew all about him—his two-timing antics, his lies, yet she still accepted him wholeheartedly. She bore all the pain, and the reason?

Love.

Love has made a fool out of a witty person like her. She still chose to play its tricky, deceitful game, despite having a clear view of what could possibly be the end result. She wanted to feel true happiness out of a fake love, even for just a brief moment.

And she knew that pretending, was the only way to fill the empty void she felt in her heart.

She would pretend that his smiles were real. She would pretend that his words were sincere. She would pretend that their intimacy and relationship were pure—and she had decided to live by those lies.

She loved him. He didn't. But that was enough for her, as long as she was by his side…

These people, students who have chosen to live on the dark side. They're not the only ones—there are still many like them whom I have not mentioned. People who were excluded from the rest, people who did the excluding; people who conceals their heart's tears with lips' smiles, and people who are stuck in the middle and trying their hardest to fit in. People who see only darkness in the world—its cruelty—where love is said to be real and intangible.

They often act happy, trying to bring happiness in their lives, but without gain.

Yet, on the other side of the spectrum, there are still some who live life to the fullest—carefree, happy, and definitely bliss. They too, experience hardships, sometimes even more worse, yet they choose to face them with pure smiles on their faces. They were light-hearted souls in high spirits, seeing the world as a wondrous place.

Many envied their innocence to the harsh reality.

And two of these people were an odd couple, quite out of the ordinary, typical relationship—a boy and girl who would always be seen fighting like cats and dogs.

**He was the goofy one, **one who has this thing for food. Lots of them. And whenever he would devour large amounts of food, a smack on the head would always follow, by none other than his feisty girlfriend—**a hot headed girl who had a big mouth and a short temper. **

And here they were at the cafeteria, the boy carrying a tray full of food and the girl only glaring at him from behind. Noisy as they may, most still found them to be an adorable pair. Deep inside, they truly care for the other—no lies, no pretenses. And that was what had kept them strong. So they say, "The more you hate, the more you love."

And just a few ways away, at their school's sports field, were another pair—the _bestest_ best of friends this time, both of whom shared the same interest: sports.

**He was their soccer team star player, **kind yet fierce, his face bearing youthful features despite being sixteen years of age, yet still had a charming masculinity in them. **And she was their volleyball team captain, **a girl quite on the boyish side, who too, shared the same strong-willed attitude as that of her best friend for eleven years.

They would often lose their cool at times, still, as quick as they were to anger, they were even quicker to laugh it off.

But their worst problem is yet to come, for in every high school cliché, it's usually the "bestfriends" who end up with each other. But being completely dense and oblivious persons, falling in love seemed to be a blur.

But what if they did?

Nothing's impossible after all, especially with a sly and cunning cheerleader for a friend. **She was the "Master Matchmaker", **a very close friend to the two, who has been secretly planning matchmaking antics to finally get them together. But timing was crucial, in situations like these, and by the looks of it, it seems that her plans are gonna have to wait…

These students were separate individuals, yet still a part of a larger crowd. And in the midst of it all, stood a plain girl with nothing special in particular.

**She was the new student, a normal girl who lived a normal life. **But that was, until, she had entered the doors of the prestigious Tomoeda High. Going down the unfamiliar terrain of her new school, she then turned into a classroom as the school bell rang.

They were different people whose lives ran on completely different worlds. Yet only one class connects them.

And so will be the start, of a newfound friendship between them.

And maybe…perhaps…

Even love.

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**A/N:** Yep. Sorry, but that would be all for now. Anyway, these consists of CCS characters (can you guess who is who?), along with some OC's. Hope you don't mind. Pairings by the way, are most likely gonna be Syaoran x Sakura (of course), Eriol x Tomoyo, (Eriol isn't introduced here yet by the way), Chiharu x Yamazaki, Mei Lin X (still thinking about it), and more. I can't tell for now. Anyway, review! I love reviews. Who doesn't? :)

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**Next update will be after a week. Estimated update date/s: December 18-20. Watch out for these days—if ever my prologue somewhat interests you. **

**Type away!**

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	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Chapter one up! Alright, so I'll be giving each of the characters here, a deeper look into their…well…_character_, and so we'll be doing it one by one. Let's start with the first two, shall we? Hope you enjoy this chap!

Update came in really earlier than expected, since it's already our Christmas vacation, in case any of you have noticed. Well, better this than not at all right?

I won't be repeating the disclaimer part. Go back to the prologue if ever you want to run through it again.

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**Chapter one**

**Part 1: The outcast—an angel without wings**

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_(A few years ago)_

It was all a lie.

They thought I had everything.

A perfect life…

_-FLASH-_

_"Just remember dear…" a fashionably dressed woman said, thin rep lips curled up into a warm smile. And in front of her sat her daughter, a young girl who was the very epitome of beautiful. _

_They were a pretty pair—a mother who was currently grooming her only daughter, her most prized possession, for a social function well-known people like them were made to attend. She fixed the young girl's wavy hair into an elegantly messy bun, her thin slender fingers brushing through rich raven locks. _

_And the girl would only sit still, looking at her reflection in the mirror with beautiful lavender eyes. _

_Sad, lavender eyes. _

_Which her mother never noticed. _

_The woman placed a firm hand on her shoulder, before then finishing her sentence. "…smile, and never say anything unless you are told to. Understood?" she would always say._

_And the girl would always nod with an expressionless face—like a robot who had lived her whole life always being told what to do. _

_"Yes, mother…" she replied nonchalantly. _

_-FLASH-_

Perfect friends…

_-FLASH- _

_"Oohh! You're so pretty Daidouji-sama!"_

_"Yeah, and you have such pretty skin!" _

_The girl looked around. There were so many faces, all smiling at her, complementing her. And she would only smile back. _

_Yet deep inside, she could see, the glares of envy which were masked behind faked kindness. Deep inside, she knew, that these people didn't really care for her. They only wanted a share of her popularity. _

_But she had no choice. _

_These people—people whose families also bore a prominent name in Tokyo—were the friends her mother had handpicked for her. She was made to hang out with them, to befriend them, for the sake of having a reputation to maintain. _

_"Hey, Tomoyo-chan, we're hanging out later. Want to join us?"_

_She nodded. "Sure." _

_-FLASH-_

Even the perfect boy…

_-FLASH-_

_"Look Tomoyo…I love you…" a boy said, as he cupped her chin. He then flashed the most charming smile she has ever seen. "…so much…" he hugged her. "I promise…I'll never leave you. I'll never make you cry."_

_And she would melt in his arms, blushing, her lips slowly forming into a smile. A rare, genuine smile. _

_"You…promise?"_

_"I promise." _

_-FLASH-_

But it was all a lie.

In this little thing called 'life', perfection is but an illusion, which fades away by time. Nothing is always perfect. Nothing can ever be perfect.

And as for me, I learned it the hard way.

I looked in front of the mirror—in front of that very same mirror in where my mom would always groom me for every social function we were made to attend. There, I saw, a fallen angel staring straight back at me, with beautiful, yet sad lavender eyes. I could not bear to look at her. It was such a painful sight.

Slowly, I put on thick glasses, purposely messed my hair…

And the angel was no more.

I have chosen to live this life—away from all the perfection I have been used to.

I have chosen to become like this—an outcast. The unwanted. The disgraced.

I do, which others don't.

I am, whom others are afraid of becoming.

I live, as others will not.

And maybe, just maybe, it would be better this way.

"Tomoyo. We need to go now. We might miss our flight to Tomoeda," my aunt said as she stood by the door, before gesturing for me to go outside.

It was a painful goodbye.

To my past life...

To my past self.

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_November 13, 2012_

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It was simply the vestibule of hell—the howling assails, the cacophonous din of chattering students, the shrieks of laughter and the loud banging of locker metal doors were enough proof. Some have gotten used to it, some can barely handle the damned chaotic mess. Yet some seemed to stay oblivious to it all, locked up in a completely different world, separated from the rest. People who were neither labeled as popular nor intellectual. People who were in a league of their own.

_A seemingly frail girl would walk by the school's corridors each day, her head hung down low and small, pale hands clasped tightly around her books pressed against her chest. _

It seemed as if the world couldn't see her; it seemed as if the world didn't care.

_She was the outcast. The loner. _The one who had no friends. The one who wasn't part of anything at all. Those of higher society in their school had called her names: the unwanted, the disgraced, the lonely, the freak. _And people would just brush past her with a judgmental look, never caring to look beyond the girl with unkempt raven hair, bangs quite long and eyes concealed by round glasses. _

Her past self was the very definition of 'perfect'. She had a perfect family and lived a luxurious life. She was beautiful, like an angel descended onto earth, with long raven hair flowing in graceful waves behind her back, and warm eyes with a rare shade of lavender. She was well known in her school, and had friends just as popular. She even had a perfect relationship with whom she thought was the perfect guy.

But it all came crumbling down.

In the blink of an eye, her parents have perished in a fire…

In a fraction of a second, her so-called _friends_ have betrayed her.

And in the tick of a clock, the boy she loved the most, left, leaving her hanging in the air…alone…drowned in her own misery...

And her perfect life was no more.

She had cried terribly during those dark and cold nights; she remembered.

It was the last time she ever did.

And ever since then, she had lived her life not really living. Just existing. Just somebody with no importance at all.

An outcast.

_And she had come to thinking that no one would ever be able to understand her pain. _

It was just another typical day in school. She opened her locker slowly, careful to make any noise, took out the things she needed and made to left in peace. But she was, however, blocked by a figure a foot taller than her, yet not a single sign of surprise could be traced from her face. She had expected it after all, already being a part of her daily routine.

She knew what was next.

In a flash, she saw her books and papers strewn at her feet, her Calculus homework which she had spent all night on now trampled over, crumpled and nearly torn to pieces. Yet her face remained as blank as ever. Expressionless. Careful enough not to show any weakness to the one who stood arrogantly before her.

"Oops. Was that your homework? Oh, I'm so sorry…" she said apologetically, yet the smirk on her face said otherwise.

She didn't respond. She tried to block her ears from the taunts and words which pierced right through her, yet to no avail. And others joined in, laughing, pointing at the girl whose homework had been wasted.

"Aren't you going to say anything…you ugly freak?" she taunted.

Still, she kept her calm and chose to stay silent. Looking around, she realized that other students who were passing by have already formed a ring around them, their insults and arrogant laughter growing louder and louder with every passing second, concurring with the theory that the lonely girl was weak. Yet she couldn't feel anything.

Only emptiness.

And then it happened.

Her gaze stopped at another girl, who seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary—just like the rest, yet very different all the same. A fleeting look of sympathy graced her features as her plain brown eyes looked deeply into hers, as if she wanted to reach out to her and take her in her arms, before another student stepped in between them, breaking their eye contact.

And she had lost sight of her then.

This left the outcast pondering.

_Who is she?_

_How come I have never seen her before? _

"Ignoring me now eh?" a voice snapped her out of her trance, and only then had she got a grip back at what was happening at the current moment. She shook her head timidly.

A scoff. "Uh…yeah, you were. Look freak. You know who I am. Never ignore me when I am talking to you, got that?" she then smirked. "Still, you need to be punished for such a disrespectful act. How about…giving you a quick shower, right here? Sounds fun, ne? Besides, you really need to take a bath."

She slowly raised the cup she was holding.

But just in the nick of time…

"INCOMING!" –the twins.

She couldn't really remember what exactly had happened, but the next thing she knew, the bully was on the floor, along with the spilled water which pooled around her. She furiously stood up and shot an icy glare at the two troublemakers.

"Hahahahahaha! Serves you right meanie! Ugly Haname, ugly Haname!" they chorused in sing-song from a distance.

"Ugh!" the queen cried with disgust, before flashing the outcast a glare. "We're not done freak. Not yet," she said firmly, and then faced the laughing crowd, face as red as tomato, clearly flushed with embarrassment. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL STARING AT? GO TO YOUR ROOMS!" she yelled before stomping away, attempting to catch up with the twins.

And with this, the students slowly filed out, just as the school bell rang.

Having been left in solitary once more, she slumped down onto the floor, her back against the cold metal of the lockers.

She didn't feel like attending her first class that day.

* * *

**Part 2: The new student—a normal girl, yet different from the rest**

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A girl stood in front, feeling quite awkward as everyone stared at her intently, curious eyes boring right through her. She was nothing out of the ordinary—plain shoulder length copper brown hair and eyes of the same shade. An average, shy girl, with average looks, living with an average family. Naturally, she wouldn't mind. But now, the only thing which ran on her mind was to make a good first impression in front of all these unfamiliar faces.

She came from Yomiyama, a small town, secluded from the city, and there, she and her family had led a peaceful, quiet life. It just so happened that she had been granted a scholarship to study at the prestigious Tomoeda High, and the next thing she knew, they were already boarding the plane to Tomoeda. They had bought a comfy, quaint apartment; they had arranged their settlement papers as well as her enrollment documents, and so, try as she may, she couldn't do anything about it.

And so, her life in Tomoeda, began.

The hard part was getting used to the cacophonous noise of civilization, but she knew that getting through high school would be tougher—especially in a school like Tomoeda High. As she walked down its unfamiliar terrains, she knew that that this year was going to be different.

But what had intrigued her the most, was that girl she had just passed by just a while back—the girl who was labeled as "the outcast"; the girl whose homework had been wasted. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her, being surrounded by the critique crowd, being ridiculed at. Yet there, she stood unwavering, expressionless, which she admired. She wished she had that kind of bravery, to be able to just set aside hurtful remarks.

Their eyes even met!—which intrigued her even more.

Because what she saw behind the girl's glasses, was something she didn't expect.

Beautiful lavender eyes.

_Sad, lavender eyes. _

And the girl was momentarily drawn to its pretty rare shade, until a student stepped in between them, breaking their eye contact. She wasn't able to make another connection with her again, and so she left dejectedly, on her way to her room.

"Hanamura Megumi…" the teacher peered over his class record as he studied the new student through quaint glasses. Megumi practically shivered at his hard stare. "You're the new student, I presume?"

Megumi nodded shyly. "H-hai…sensei…"

A dreadful silence followed. Megumi felt her knees tremble.

"Introduce yourself," the teacher spoke once more, as he then signed a piece of paper, which Megumi figured out to be her admittance slip.

"I-I'm Hanamura Megumi…i-it's nice to meet yo—"

**BANG.**

The door shot open.

All eyes shifted from the shy girl to the girl who stood by the doorway, short auburn hair quite unkempt, draping messily over her emerald eyes.

The teacher looked at her sternly. "You're late."

The girl only scoffed. "Yeah, and you're ugly. Now we've stated the obvious can we get down to business or are we just going to stand here all day?"

The teacher's face flushed with embarrassment as a few stifled chuckles arose in the once quite classroom. "Why…are…you…late…miss Kinomoto?" he asked slowly through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the girl's last remark.

"I would tell you, but you might not like it."

"Tell. Me. NOW," he pressed.

"Okay, okay. Geez dude, like, _chill_. I was late because my butt got stuck to our toilet bowl. There. Happy now? What next? Want a narration of my life auto-biography?"

And the class burst into laughter.

Megumi's lips tilted up. What was once a tensional silence suddenly turned much lighter, all in a few seconds' time. Yep. People here are _odd_ indeed. It's not every day that you'd see students like her who actually do that to their terror teacher.

The teacher glared. "Sit, missie. Seems like I'll be seeing you in detention later."

A smirk. "Looking forward for it."

"You too Hanamura. You can sit beside Miss Mei Lin."

As two girls sat, everyone then knew it was time to get serious. The teacher then started to drone dispassionately about Shakespeare—half of the class practically zoned out, while the other half listened, and in a number of thirty-five, only two actually gave half a heart to learn what he was explaining.

Megumi's eyes scanned the crowd, as she took the time to study and observe these people whom she would be spending high school with.

A few ways to her right, a dark-haired boy who was munching on a sandwich goes unnoticed by the teacher, and the braided girl who was sitting right next to him would smack his head every now and then, muttering things like 'paying more attention to the lesson'.

In the front, at the very center, a girl who was probably their class' top honor student, diligently scribbled down notes, making an exact copy of his lecture, word per word. She seemed to be taking down too lot though, and Megumi couldn't help but wonder as to why she was going through all the effort to make an extra copy, for a friend perhaps.

And every once in a while, she would lean back to gently elbow the boy that was catching up on his sleep. The girl would show him the notebook she was writing on, and the boy would only nod, before dozing off once again, and the girl, resume with writing down notes. _So the extra copy was for him,_ realization dawned upon Megumi.

Chattering groups of girly-girls were spread across the classroom, simply passing on gossip and hot news to each other—the latest trends, what's in and what's not, one of them bearing a striking familiarity to Megumi. It was her. That bully she saw from before.

"Your butt got stuck in the toilet bowl huh?" she then heard a faint whisper. Right behind her, a boy with amber eyes smirked to the late girl. "Pretty cute."

The girl punched his arm. "BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WAKE ME UP!"

They seemed to be the closest of friends, as both wrote at the back of their notebooks, but not writing notes. From the looks of it, they only seemed to be drawing doodles out of boredom. _Wow…to these people even pass their tests?_ Megumi wondered.

"Okay class, now, please open your books and read lesson 6."

Megumi bit her lip.

She has no book yet.

"Want to share mine?" the girl beside her, Mei Lin, offered. Judging by her attire, cheerleading practice just have ended and she no longer had the time to change back into their school uniform. She was nice, Megumi noted, but she seemed the type to be too straightforward.

Megumi smiled bashfully. "T-thanks."

_FLIP._

Her eyes shot up. _What was that? _

_FLIP._

Hearing the sound once more, she turned her head, and there, at the very back of the classroom, a pair of twin boy and girl sat. They too, were reading like the rest, though a bit noisy as they turned from page to page.

_FLIP._

The two looked very similar, both with blond hair and cerulean eyes which seemed to glint with mischief. But they seemed to be a bit young for Junior High though, and Megumi wondered how they had been admitted.

_FLIP._

The sound had started to annoy her, and from the looks of it, others seemed to have been disturbed as well.

_FLIP._

She could see the teacher's eye twitch.

_FLIP._

Others have started glancing at their direction every now and then.

_FLIP._

Megumi could barely concentrate.

_FLIP._

_._

_FLIP._

_._

_FLIP._

"KAGAMI!" –the teacher

"Yes?" they chorused.

"STAND UP!"

"Which one?"

The teacher paused momentarily. "BOTH!"

And the two did as told.

"What are you doing?"

"Reading. What else?"

The teacher raised a brow. "Oh really? Well, if you really were 'reading', as you have implied, will you please state, when was William Shakespeare born?"

"I'm afraid there wasn't any specific date, stated, as to when he was born," the boy said confidently.

The elder sniggered. "Oh, wasn't there? From what I see here, it's clearly written that his birth date was Apr—"

"April 26, 1564, you mean?" the girl interrupted, as to which the boy continued. "That wasn't his birth date sire. It was when he was baptized."

"So you're saying that the book is wrong?" the teacher pressed.

"We have said nothing of that sort sensei," the girl firmly replied.

Megumi shivered. Creepy.

While the girl beside her only chuckled. "As expected from them. You're new here right? Well, those two may look young, but they're very smart I tell you."

"Yeah, I can see that," Megumi answered with a nervous laugh.

An empty seat then caught her eye.

_An absentee? _

The teacher's eyes narrowed. "Well, since you two stuck-up know-it-alls think you're so smart, you'll be joining Kinomoto later in my office. Any objections?"

"Sensei—"

"Your hand is not up, Li."

The amber eyed boy groaned as he raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Well…sensei, they've done nothing wrong," he spoke up. "They only shared their opinions with us. Isn't that why we have this so-called 'discussion'?"

_Silence. _

"Detention for you too, Li."

"Well shit!" the girl (Kinomoto) cursed. "You're asking for objections, and then you're not gonna listen? Psssh. Yeah right. Makes perfect sense."

Horrified looks were sent her way, as though she had just killed someone. Who ever actually _curses_ a teacher—one of higher authority?

No one.

But she did.

Mei Lin tugged her shirt. "Sakura, calm down," she whispered.

This time around, it was the teacher who had kept his cool as he took out the class record and wrote down something—something _not good_, Megumi guessed.

"Cursing in class is an offense Kinomoto. Principal's office. Now," the teacher said as he handed out a paper to the angry girl.

Sakura only glared firmly at him, before walking to the door. Just as she was about to go out…

"Oh yes, and if you happen to see Daidouji, tell her that she'll, most likely, fail my class if she doesn't attend again tomorrow," (Megumi's eyes strayed to the empty seat)

Sakura paused, before closing the door behind her.

"Poor Sakura," Mei Lin whispered.

Suddenly, the amber eyed boy too, stood up and made his way to the door.

"Where are you going?" the baffled teacher asked.

"To accompany her," he opened the door… "I'm her best friend after all,"

Megumi could only stare with eyes wide open.

"One step outside, and I'm gonna fail you…Syaoran Li."

.

.

.

"You're not the boss of me," he replied. "You're just my Literature teacher."

And it was then when Megumi got lost in his eyes…his gorgeous, determined amber eyes which sent a hard stare at the teacher before going outside.

What he had just said…it was so sweet—a guy caring for his girl bestfriend so much that he'd go as far as that just for her. It was something she thought she'd never see.

But she did.

In this school.

And then she felt it—a sudden beating in her chest. But she didn't give much thought to it.

Not yet.

* * *

**A/N: **Yep, Tomoyo's the outcast, and I assigned the 'new student' role to an OC. And yes, Megumi falls for Syaoran, but let me tell you, her story here is gonna be the "unrequited love" type.

**Next up: a closre look on Sakura and Syaoran's characters, along with, most probably, Mei Lin's. **

**Update date: No date yet. Not yet sure if I'll be starting the third chapter and posting it here first before going away with my family for the Christmas break. **


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Hey! I apologize for the delayed update. It's just that I have been busy with school the past few weeks and now that it's our Christmas break, I grabbed the opportunity to relax and refresh myself.

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! Sincerely: Aki-chan :)))**

Thank you for the reviewers!

**Guest: **Yep, first-timer here. I'm kind of nervous actually, so believe it or not, I was really happy when I read your review, considering it as the very first.

**Tristan: **Aww thanks! Keep the compliments coming! Kidding. :)

**bookgirl11: **It sure helped!

**PriciousDivil: **Glad you noticed, and liked it! As for the updating, sorry if it got a little delayed.

**xXchobitsXx: **Oooh…"poetic feel"…I kind of like that :)

* * *

**Keep reading you guys! And thank you also for those who added my story to their favorites, and those who subscribed for alerts. **

**WARNING: ****Poorly written chapter****, mainly because I kind of rushed with it. And for that, I apologize. Plus a failed attempt in humor, and a minor breaking of the fourth wall. I made it a little bit longer than my usual chapter length, to make up for the wait. **

**Anyway, I did say that I'd be focusing on Sakura and Mei Lin right? Well, it just got so long that I decided to split it into two chapters. And it wasn't Mei Lin's by the way; I guess I got it wrong. I found it better to have the twins instead—so it got even longer. So basically, Chapter two only covers the first part of it, and Chapter three will cover the second part.**

**Hope you like it! AND NO FLAMING. I'm still a young kid in training, currently studying real hard in our English subject to get better at writing. **

* * *

**Chapter two**

**A prank gone wrong: Part 1**

* * *

_(Current date is still November 13)_

* * *

A prank gone wrong…

* * *

_"So…how did it go?" Hikaru asked, as soon as his twin's figure emerged from the shadows of their teacher's office. _

_The girl could barely hold back a grin. "Perfect." _

_"Good. Come on! Let's scram while no one's around."_

_"Yeah. That geezer…sending Sakura and Syaoran to detention when it wasn't entirely their fault. He deserves it bro."_

* * *

…and an ear-splitting scream.

* * *

_"Where…are…those…PUNKS!" The scream broke through the still silence of their History class, as Mr. Toshiro stood by the doorway, coated with a greenish-brown smoke of stinking gas. _

_His glare intensified. "YOU TWO. GET OUT THIS INSTANT!" _

_And all eyes turned to Sakura and Syaoran who were seated at the far back. _

_"B-but…we…we…didn't—" a defeated sigh, before then continuing with a dejected tone, "…right away sir…"_

* * *

That was all it took, and the next thing I knew, I was back in that one place which I hate the most, yet ironically, I visit almost every single day.

* * *

_Sakura looked at the door, legs frozen at the spot. _

_Principal's office, it read._

* * *

Yep. Shit happens.

* * *

_So there I was, all alone in a cold room, locked up tight that even the brightest of light cannot seem to penetrate through. I sat on the hard, concrete bench, refusing to look at anything but my hands. _

_Blank eyes stare down upon me, emotionless, cold, void of any emotion. They bore darkly right through me, as if eating away my soul. I could barely sit still—anything was better than this. The feeling was awful, being stuck in a timeless space with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. You can't scream, you can't escape; you can't even barely breathe. It's…nothingness. Just the darkness swallowing you up whole._

* * *

"Uhh…Sakura…I don't think that's exactly…what happened…"

"Shut up."

"But—"

"Shut…Up…"

* * *

_Thirty minutes in this prison, and still, fifteen more to go. Life wasn't fair to me. Life doesn't want me alive, tied up, locked in, with people gruffly torturing me only for penitence. The handcuffs, the whips, the pain…oh how horrible—unbearable! _

_But I stood firm on my ground. I won't let them control me. I didn't do it, and I was determined to prove to these people that I am innocent. I will live with no regrets. That is, if I were still to live through this. _

_"Where am I?" you ask?_

_In hell._

* * *

"Sakura…you're over-exaggerating things…"

"I am not. So will you please keep quiet and let me get on with this?"

* * *

_Where was I? Oh yeah—the 'hell' part. _

_Yep. Hell. You know, that one place which is surrounded by flames yet freezing with the spine-chilling cold. The torture…the suffering…in no time at all I would lose myself and go mad. After all, it was what this place was made for. _

_"One last time missie…one last chance…admit your sin and apologize."_

_"I already told you, I DIDN'T DO IT!" _

_SLAP!_

_Drip._

_Drip._

_I looked down. Red. Dark red—the nauseating shade of blood._

* * *

"That's it…get out of here."

"This is my POV, so no butting in!"

"This is rated M material."

"But having rated M material makes everything better."

"Too risky, so no. We're sticking with what really happened."

"Ugh…fine." (walks out)

* * *

"So?"

"So what?"

The principal sighed, as he leaned over his desk. He looked at the two figures which sat before him, with eyes as calm and kind as a father's, yet all he got was a glare in return from one of them. The other, however, kept his amber pair expressionless.

"Miss Kinomoto…no…let's drop the formality," he said as he sipped on his cup of tea. "Sakura…I would appreciate it if you would address me in a nicer way, but either way is fine by me…as long as you cooperate."

He paused. "Mmm. Delicious. Ms. Shion do make such good tea. Want a cup?" he offered.

Syaoran shook his head. "No, thank you sir," he answered with utmost politeness, before then glaring at Sakura, as if telling her to do the same. Aside from Literature, one of the things which Sakura hated the most was a sermon.

And being forced on a skirt too, but that seemed irrelevant at the moment.

"I see," the principal said. "Anyway, getting back on topic…you do know, as to why you are back here again, right?"

Mr. Yukito (their principal), talked to them in a rather nice and sort of fatherly kind of way, (another thing which Sakura hated) so that didn't help much as to soothe down her anger. And so, Syaoran decided it best that he be the one to answer, for Sakura might just start bad mouthing the one of higher authority.

He wouldn't like Sakura to be suspended for a whole week—more so actually getting kicked out of the school.

"To be honest, sir, we don't."

The elder looked quite surprised, peering through his clear glasses. "About the stink bomb incident?"

"Yes sir. We were surprised just as everyone else was. We weren't responsible for that."

"Are you telling the truth Syaoran?"

"Yes sir."

"But that's not what I have heard from Mr. Toshiro."

Sakura scoffed. "The old geezer's a big fraud. He just likes to blame everything on us for personal matters. I can't believe you actually believed him—"

"Sakura, stop it," Syaoran cut her off.

Yukito held up a hand. "Don't worry—I believe you."

Sakura's eyes, which were narrowed with intense anger, suddenly widened with surprise. "You…you do?"

A smile. "Oh…I know everything there is to know about this school. Including the fact that you two are quite known for never telling a lie even once—except maybe when you're making up excuses for being late in class. You might not notice it, but those around you do, and they like you for that."

"It's…sort of a family policy…" Sakura replied, quite embrassed. "Same goes for Syaoran's…"

"Yes, I am also aware. Anyway, your parents are not really happy about your conduct here in this school."

"WHAT? YOU'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH OUR PARENTS?" the two chorused.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I've been reporting to them your performance here, detail by detail," he replied, greatly emphasizing the last three words.

"You mean…they know about me sending some random dude to a hospital because I beat him up?"

"And they know about me putting bubble gum in Ms. Aizawa's chair?"

"And they know about that bucket of water which I placed on top of Mr. Kaga's office door?"

"Yes…yes…and no. I didn't know that was you. That'd another week in detention Sakura."

"What? But that was two years ago! You can't send me to detention for something I did TWO YEARS AGO!"

"Yes, I can. What I'm trying to point out here, is that your behavior has been intolerable lately," he paused. "You do remember what I said a while ago right?"

"That you know everything there is to know in this school?" Syaoran replied.

"Precisely. I see everything, I hear everything…

…Including who really were the ones who pulled the prank on our school's Literature teacher," Sakura and Syaoran's eyes widened. "And…I think you also know, right?"

A moment's hesitation.

"Yes, we do."

.

.

.

"Can you tell me? For confirmation?"

.

.

.

"We can't."

"Ahh. Wrong move. Since you chose not to spill their names, I now have a firmer basis on my guess. Remember? Friends, don't let friends be put in peril. And that's exactly what you did. That kind of friendship is admirable, I tell you. I too, experienced that when I was your age. Still, as the principal of this school, appropriate punishment must be done."

Looks of concern crossed Sakura and Syaoran's faces.

"Are you—?"

"Please don't—"

"Don't worry. Since Mr. Toshiro believes that it was you two who did it, I have no choice but to stick by his words. So they are out of danger."

He paused. "But you two are. I should suspend you, you know, taking your records into account. But I will be giving you another chance."

"Did you tell our parents?"

"I have no choice."

"What did they say?"

"Of course, as a parent, they'd be worried, and mad as well. They also said another thing—which, I'm afraid, you may not like."

"What was it?"

"They said…_'Stay away from those who force bad deeds onto your good selves'. _They didn't mention names but…well…I guess they found no need to."

"Oh…that…" Sakura said, as she looked down.

"Hikaru and Hikari," Syaoran whispered, before then speaking up to protest. "But they're not bad! They're nice friends. They never forced us into their 'games'," he paused, quite hesitant to continue, "I guess the fault was with us…you know, choosing to be like this."

"They never meant to hurt anybody," Sakura piped up. "They're just kids after all. Mom and dad shouldn't be mad at them…they should be mad at us…"

The principal gave them a reassuring smile. "Then prove it to them."

Sakura and Syaoran exchanged puzzled looks. "W-what do you m—"

"Goodness me, look at the time," Yukito quickly cut off as he rose up from his seat. "I guess this ends our brief talk…and I do, am hoping that I have at least…" a grin, "…_knocked_…some sense into you guys."

Syaoran and Sakura still wanted to hear more, maybe stay a bit longer, however, could no longer protest as the elder already led them to the door, His eyes then shot up as though he had just remembered something important. "Oh yes, and, Mr. Toshiro would probably ask what I have done to you two. So to avoid further arguments, tell him you already received the rightful punishment, alright?"

Sakura smirked. "Will whips and handcuffs do?"

"Hmm…that IS a wonderful idea."

"Why are you doing this?" Syaoran then asked. "You know…being too kind?"

"Just because I'm a principal, doesn't mean I'm a complete snot…you know…like some Literature teacher I know," he winked.

"Aha! So you don't like him too!" Sakura piped.

The principal laughed. "Well…let's just say I'm probably the one in this school who understands you the most. I was also quite the goof when I was your age."

"R-really?"

"Uh-huh," the principal replied in what was rather a childish tone. "…and your brother too…"

Syaoran casted Sakura a worried look.

.

.

.

"Right," Sakura said bluntly. "Brother."

"You're not in good terms with your brother, am I right?"

"Not really."

"He said he's gonna come over next week."

"I know."

"I see," Yukito said thoughtfully, before smiling. "Anyway…go on now…you might get late for your next class. Oh, and Sakura…I like how your hair is fixed today."

A blush. "I sort of combed it a while ago…"

"Congratulations then. I heard that you _rarely_ comb your hair…"

Syaoran snickered. "More like _never_…"

"HEY! Anyway, we need to get to our next class. If we run, we might actually make it in time."

"Roger that."

"See ya later Mr. Yukito!"

"Oh I don't know about that. I'm hoping I won't see you again here tomorrow!"

"Hahahaha! Good one sir!"

And the two disappeared from sight as they turned another hallway, completely in a mad rush to get to Biology in time.

A sigh. A smirk. "What troublesome fellas…" he said as he went back inside his office, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Did you hear—"

"I did…"

"Sakura and Syaoran's parents want them to stay away from us…"

They never meant to overhear their conversation. It was just that they were at the wrong place, in the wrong time, unintentionally hearing every single word said as they passed by the room on their way to Gym class.

"But they didn't listen. They defended us…" she paused. "It's our fault…we were the ones who did it…"

Hikaru grimaced. "Then I guess…

…we should be the one to stay away…"

* * *

_"The Kagami's? I heard that they're quite the snob…" _

_"Yeah. They don't have any friends."_

_"Correction—they don't want any friends. Or at least, that's how it seems to me…"_

* * *

We always thought that having each other was enough…

* * *

_"Look at them! They eat alone…they only play with each other…they never talk with anyone but themselves!"_

* * *

We didn't need friends; we kept telling ourselves.

* * *

_"Best to stay away from them. They're also quite dangerous...you know…a magnet for trouble…always pulling up pranks to those they don't like…"_

_"Yeah. What freaks…"_

* * *

But that was until…

* * *

_"Stop it; that's enough!" _

_"Don't you guys have anything better to do other than all those silly gossiping?"_

* * *

…we met them.

* * *

_"How annoying…people like them…" the emerald-eyed girl glared, before flashing a most charming smile at the twins. "Hi there. I'm Sakura."_

_ The boy too, had the same smile. "And I'm Syaoran. Pleased to meet you. You're Hikari and Hikaru Kagami right?" _

_Both nodded. _

_"How about we hang out after school?"_

_._

_._

_._

_"We can't. We're sorry…Li-sempai…Kinomoto-sempai…"_

* * *

A little bit past two, the high pitched tune of the school bell resounded throughout the campus, signaling the start of the five minute break they are given to switch between classes.

Megumi exhaled deeply; she found it rather hard to breathe under the presence of their strict-looking Calculus teacher due to nervousness and tension, very much like what she felt in Literature, and she was glad it was finally over. She wanted to get out of the classroom so badly—maybe get a little bit of fresh air outside before heading off for next class.

Quickly stuffing her things back into her bag, she headed outside along with the rest of the students who too, seemed to have _enjoyed_ Calculus as much as she did.

Note the heavy sarcasm.

Looking outside, she could see the grey clouds coating the once azure sky. It was almost winter, a fact which she didn't like. And just like before, she silently wished she was back in Yomiyama. She missed the people there, the relaxing sounds of nature…and the warm sun which would always beat against her creamy skin.

"Oh wait…I forgot my next class…" she whispered to herself, as she rummaged through her things for her schedule.

Her eyes then widened.

"Oh no…"

Mei Lin's Literature book.

She forgot to return it.

* * *

"Ugh man…I'm poofed. And we still have the History and Architecture sections to dust…" Sakura moaned wearily as her body fell down lifelessly on the floor. "My body ached from Gym…"

It was almost nightfall, darkness starting to reign over the now closed library, with the faint rays of the setting sun as the only light. It had been long past dismissal, yet they were still there, stuck in the library for detention.

Syaoran coughed as he dusted off a thick book. "Get up Sakura. Whining won't do anything."

Sakura glared. "For your information, I got here thirty minutes earlier than you, and by that time, I had already finished one whole section."

"The Childrens' storybooks section, may I add, which barely even fills one whole bookshelf," he then added with a mutter. "I don't really get the point of having those kinds of books. As if high schoolers like us would even bother reading them…"

"I feel you bro."

Syaoran kept silent, before then building up enough courage to ask, "Are you all right Sakura?"

Sakura raised a brow. "Huh? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well…abou—"

**"YOU** _(kick)_ **BROUGHT** _(punch)_ **HOTDOGS** _(hit)_ **IN THE LIBRARY?!"**

Both Sakura and Syaoran ran around to the other side of the shelf, only to see a frowning Chiharu flaming with anger; and a beaten up, yet still happily munching Yamazaki sitting on the floor.

Both Sakura and Syaoran smiled.

Same as always…

"Zaki, Chiharu's right. You shouldn't eat here in the library," Syaoran then said. "And Chiharu, you talk too loud. Were in the library, so silence is required."

Sakura nudged him teasingly. "You talk like my mom dude," she said, only getting a glare in return.

The door opened, and in came Mei Lin who had just some from a cheerleading practice. She was sweaty, hair quite messy, and as soon as she arrived quickly took a seat and twisted open her bottled water.

"Ahh…refreshing!" she cried with relief as she took in the cold drink. Looking around, she then seemed surprised. "Oh, Yamazaki. You got sent too?"

The dark-haired boy grimaced. "I was caught sleeping in class."

"And…Chiharu?"

"I wasn't sent. I just decided to accompany him."

Sakura stood up. "Wait…do you guys know where the twins are? They're supposed to be here as well…"

"I thought they were with you two."

"Nope, they aren't."

"Let's try looking for them later then," Chiharu suggested, before snatching the one last hotdog on her boyfriend's hands then throwing it out an open window.

"Oh noooo! My precious hotdoooog~," Yamazaki mourned exaggeratedly, as to which Chiharu scoffed.

_Knock. Knock. _

"Guys, someone's outside. Was anyone of you expecting a visitor?"

"Beats me."

"Uhh…come in…" Sakura said hesitantly, and the person outside slowly opened the door. "Oh…Hanamura-san."

Chiharu smiled. "Hey, I remember you…you're the new student right? Pleased to meet you, I'm Chiharu."

"Same goes for me," Yamazaki added, words quite muffled for his mouth was stuffed of food. "Yamazaki's the name."

Chiharu glared. "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT SANDWICH?!"

Megumi only nodded in response. She could remember their faces—they were both in her Literature class. Yamazaki was the one she saw eating and Chiharu was the braided girl who hit him hard.

"You already know me right?" –Mei Lin.

"Yeah…"

"And us?" Sakura said. "I'm betting you do, since we've been specially mentioned by that one hell of a teacher. Yeah. He loves us *that* much…"

Everyone let out a chuckle.

"What brings you here?" Mei Lin asked.

"Your…book. I…I…forgot to return it…"

"Oh yeah! Thanks!" the ruby-eyed girl said thankfully as she took the book from the shy girl's hands. "Wait…my bag's with the twins! I asked them to keep an eye on it before I went off for practice."

"Too bad they're missing then…"

"Umm…I kind of saw them in the clinic on my way here…" Megumi spoke. "It seemed that the boy got sick. He was coughing and his face was really pale."

"Oh…" Sakura then said, with a hint of sadness—one thing which Syaoran didn't fail to notice. Of course, he figured that she must be worried for Hikaru. But there seemed to be something else bothering her…

Maybe it was the news about her brother, but he really couldn't be sure.

"Really?" Mei Lin piped. "Wonderful then! Thanks a lot Megumi!" a pause. "Oh. Sorry. Would you rather like me to call you Hanamura-san instead?"

The girl in question shook her head. "No…_Megumi_ is fine…"

"So I guess after this we'll be dropping by the clinic right?"

"Pretty much."

"Umm…what are you doing?" Megumi then asked.

"Dusting books for detention."

"Oh…can…can I help too?"

"Of course! The more the better!" Sakura agreed with a smile. Syaoran felt a heavy burden lifted from his chest, seeing his best friend smiling again. But something just didn't sit right with him. Her smile…it was different…

"It's _the more the merrier_ Sakura," he corrected.

"Shut the hell up Li," a mutter. "Know-it-all…"

Sakura aside, the group dissolved into a fit of laughter—including Megumi, who didn't have a hard time getting herself comfortable with such a nice group of people.

And for the first time, ever since she had moved there, all thoughts about missing the warm sun back in Yomiyama were no more.

* * *

"Finally!" Sakura cried with delight. She then looked at the sky. It was already dark out, shimmering stars already visible against the nearly black sky. The cool night breeze blew through them, making her shiver slightly, since her gym clothes were made thin. "Something tells me its' already late though…"

Syaoran checked his watch. "It IS late. A little bit past six," he smirked. "Why? Scared of the dark _Saku-chan_?"

"Don't call me that!"

"Hmm…what about…_Kura-chan_?"

*glaaaaaare*

"Moto-chan?"

*glaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare*

"Cherry Blossom-chan?"

"One more stupid cutesy nickname and I'm gonna shout to the whole school body as to how your undies still have teddy bear prints on them," Sakura whispered, venom dripping from her voice.

From afar, they heard Mei Lin chuckle. "Now just what are you two doing? Whispering sweet nothings?"

Both Sakura and Syaoran raised a brow. Unsurprisingly, they didn't get it. "What was that?" they chorused bluntly.

=_=" - Mei Lin's face.

"Nothing," she replied glumly.

Chiharu breathed. "Another failed attempt ne?"

"Soooo…Megumi," Mei Lin then said all of a sudden, purposely changing the topic. " won't…your parents scold you for arriving home late? Being your first day and all. We're lucky we've got some program tomorrow which would probably disrupt classes."

"Not really. I texted them about it…and…you?"

A shrug. "They're used to it. With all the pressing demands of school, it's kind of natural for them already. Of course they worry…but…you get the idea."

"Ours too," Chiharu, speaking for both herself and Yamazaki. "They get mad though…let alone the shouts and rants they do…"

Megumi laughed. " Yeah…I get that too sometimes…" she then looked ahead of them, where Syaoran and Sakura were currently having a practice at hand to hand combat…_while_ walking. "…What about…"

"Those two? They don't live with their parents. They live together in a rented apartment—the twins included. They're very independent you know…even those two little kids…"

Megumi felt surprise, yet amazed all the same. "Why?"

"They come from very far places," was all Mei Lin said.

"Oh…so they must've known each other already before Tomoeda High, am I right?"

"Yeah. Those four go waaaay back. I only met them when we were in sixth grade. But don't tell anyone this…but Sakura and Syaoran's parents doesn't really like them befriending the twins. They think they're some sort of bad influence or something."

"Then why are they still—"

Mei Lin smiled. "That's what you call friendship…"

Her words left Megumi into deep thinking, as she froze at her spot.

_That's what you call friendship…_

A smile. _Hm…that sounds nice…_

"Hey…anyone up for ice cream?" Syaoran suddenly asked, out of the blue.

"I do!" Yamazaki replied instantly.

"I think we all do," Mei Lin said with a chuckle. "Megumi?"

Megumi nodded cheerfully. "Hai!"

"You guys go ahead," Sakura said.

"Why? Where are you going?" Syaoran asked.

"To the clinic. I'm gonna go check up on the twins."

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about them!"

"We'll come with you," Syaoran said.

Sakura smiled. "No. If it's all right with you guys, I'd like to go by myself."

_That smile_, Syaoran thought. _It's the same as before…_

"But…my bag is—"

"It's alright Sakura," Syaoran interrupted, ignoring the weird look Mei Lin gave him because of actually agreeing to split up with Sakura, "But that doesn't mean that we won't be waiting for you, so make it quick okay."

A tug. "Hey…are you really gonna let Sakura go by herself?" Mei Lin whispered.

"It's what she wants," he then threw a jacket at Sakura. "Thought you might need it. It's colder inside the clinic than out here."

"But—"

"Either take that or I'm gonna go with you."

"Ugh. Fine," her lips pulled up into a smile. "But seriously man. Thanks," she said as she waved, before running off, then disappearing into the shadows on the other side of the corridor, brought by the dark night.

Syaoran felt everyone's eyes on him. He turned to face them. "WHAT? Got something to say?"

"Uh, yeah, we do," Mei Lin said. "You know…we're getting really hungry now, so if you're intent on waiting for Sakura, do it by yourself. We're gonna wait for the two of you at the ice cream store, 'kay?" she then leaned in closer as she whispered, "Besides, Sakura seems a little off today, ever since your talk with Mr. Yukito. You may want to ask her about that—I know she'd tell you."

"You noticed?"

"Yep. And I'm worried," she then pulled away, her voice now back in normal volume. "Bye Syaoran."

The boy waved. "Bye."

* * *

_"So…um…what did you tell him Mei Lin?"_

_"Why do you need to know?"_

_"Nothing really. So? What was it?" _

_"It's none of your business."_

_"Aww. You're no fun."_

_"Uh Chiharu? What's up? Why do you seem so interested all of a sudden?" _

_"Oh come one Mei Lin…didn't you like him before?"_

_._

_._

_._

_…Yes, I did…_

_"No, I didn't. Just where have you learned that, huh? Chiharu?"_

_"Hm. Guess I was mistaken then. Sorry. Just forget I said that."_

_"…"_

* * *

"How are you feeling Hikaru?"

"…"

"Come on, let's go home. You'll feel better once you eat Sakura's soup. You like it right?"

"I don't want to go home tonight. I want to stay here…"

"But Hikaru…"

"Please? I don't want to worry Sakura and Syaoran. I don't want them to see me in this condition…"

"…"

"Please? Nee-chan?"

"Alright," the girl rose up, turning her back against him. "I'm gonna tell the nurse that we'll be staying the night here. Well…I hope she'd let us."

Her voice was shaking.

"Please don't cry nee…"

"I'm not."

"I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to be."

"Sakura and Syaoran will be coming for us here. I know it."

"Then I'm gonna have the nurse tell them we're not here."

"…alright."

* * *

"What? But that can't be! Someone told us they are in here!"

"Oh…I'm really sorry Miss Kinomoto, but they left hours ago."

"That's impossible."

"Sorry, but that is the truth. Anyway, my shift here is over. I need to leave. You need to leave too, since it's already late."

Sakura could only watch the nurse-in-charge as she packed her things and left, before a thought crossed her.

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"Did they, mention anything about a bag?"

"Oh. You mean Miss Mei Lin's bag? Yes they did. They said they left it on top of Mei Lin's locker," and with this, the nurse left off, leaving Sakura alone in the dimly lit corridor right outside the clinic.

"Closed…" Sakura whispered as she read the sign. "Ah…whatever," she said with a shrug. "I'm getting sleepy. Maybe I'd better go home…they might've went before us."

_"She left."_

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Yeah. I heard her say she's going home..." _

_._

_._

_._

_"No she's not. She's probably gonna go get Syaoran and stay the night here to keep an eye on us—outside the clinic of course."_

_"Huh? How did you know?"_

_"Because this is Sakura we're talking about."_

_"Hmm…yeah you're right. It sure sounds like something she would do…"_

_A chuckle. "Ah…we know her too well…both of them…"_

_"Yeah."_

* * *

"Where are the others?"

"They went ahead. Where are the twins?"

"The nurse said they went ahead too."

"Oh…so then would you mind explaining WHAT ARE WE DOING IN FRONT OF THE CLINIC?"

Sakura punched his arm. "Would you shut your trap up? You might wake them up!"

Syaoran looked at her as though she had just said something stupid. "No one's in there Sakura…"

"Hikari and Hikaru are sleeping there."

"But…didn't the nurse say—"

"The nurse was lying."

"Right. Can you prove that, Sherlock?"

"I can't. I just…know they're in there."

"…eh?"

"Drop the look will you? I know they're inside…"

"…"

"Trust me."

"…"

"Trust—Me."

"Fine. So what are you planning to do?"

"We have no classes tomorrow right?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I don't know. A program?"

"So we got no assignments?"

"None."

"Quizzes?"

"Na-da."

Sakura then sat down at the floor, all of a sudden. "Then I'm staying here as well."

"WHAT? ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

"Yep."

"Uhhh…hello? Earth to Sakura~…Sakura to Earth~…"

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means…get a grip Kinomoto! We can't stay here!"

"Why not?"

"Uhhhhh…"

"Well? I'm waiting~"

"Fine. Do whatever you want," Syaoran said before sitting beside Sakura. "But I'm staying with you."

"WHAT?"

"Oh come on. Did you really think I'll leave you out alone here?"

"You won't leave?"

"Not unless you tell me to. Would you like me to leave?"

"…No," Sakura replied truthfully.

Syaoran smiled. "Then that settles it. _We're_ staying here."

It was dark—outside the school campus inside. The corridor in which they sat in was barely lit, that small white orb at the far end even flickering on and off, creating an eerie atmosphere. But neither gave thought to it, their minds preoccupied with much more important things.

"Hey Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"You seem kind of off today. Something bothering you? Is it your brother?"

"Not really."

"You never lie Sakura."

"I'm not lying. It's just that, I'm not letting his visit get into me that much yet. I don't wanna spend the whole week dreading for that day. You know what I feel about my brother right?"

Syaoran kept silent as his fingers tensed. _That bastard…_ Of course he'd knew! He and Sakura had been best buds ever since they were in diapers!

Okay, maybe that was a bit exaggerated, but yeah, you get the idea.

And ever since they had met, which, honestly, wasn't the best of first meetings, they had been practically inseparable. They did everything together; including detention at school. Of course, in the eleven years that he had been with the guy…err…the _girl,_ he knew everything there is to know about her.

Everything.

She was the boisterous, but fun type, always with an exciting story to tell as though her life was full of nothing but marvelous adventures and risky expeditions, and he was the type to always listen, always by her side no matter what. They enjoyed each other's company; they need not to say it out loud.

Of course, being stubborn, he could probably make a book of the many things Sakura didn't like, and still wouldn't be enough. What a long list it was—make up, skirts, dresses, high heels, the color pink, ruffles, Mr. Toshiro, Literature, any Math-related subject, and the list could go on and on…and on and on…

But Sakura was also known to be a strong girl, which was why many mistakes her often to be a boy, with her hair kept short all the time (she also hates combing her hair), and her slim and lean body structure.

Which leads back to the day he first met her. The first words he said to her back then? Oh…how could he ever forget…

* * *

_"WHAT?! THIS DUDE'S A FREAKIN' GIRL?"_

_"YEAH I AM! GOT ANY PROBLEM WITH THAT YOU WIMPY GIT?!"_

* * *

They were only four at that time—with an unusually huge vocabulary for a child's.

They instantly clicked after that.

Yet however, another memory flashed before his eyes.

* * *

_"Sakura…Sakura!" seven-year-old Syaoran called upon seeing the girl curled up in a corner. "Hey Sakura…why are you crying?"_

_The girl sniffed. "Onii-chan…he's…he's…scary Syaoran…he yelled at me…he's…he's a big meanie…" _

_"Sakura…don't worry, he's not here anymore. He already left in plane right? Stop crying Sakura…"_

_I hate seeing you cry…_

* * *

Sakura the fearless. That was how people knew her. A fierce athlete always willing to take risks, never afraid of anything.

If only they knew…

They were mistaken. She too, like everyone else, was afraid of something. But it wasn't spiders, or insects, of seeing blood, or ghosts, like any other girl around their age would normally be scared of. Of all things, it just had to be her brother. Yes, her brother.

"You're scared of him? But that was in first grade right? I thought by now you would've gotten over it…"

"Unfortunately, I didn't. In fact, I think my fear for him grew even worse…especially after I learned about okaa…" she chuckled bitterly. "When he arrives, I bet he's gonna rub it in my face again as to how he's the only rightful Kinomoto heir…as to how he's the only son of father and his _legal _wife."

Syaoran could barely keep his cool. Seeing her like that—fragile, helpless, more so, coated with fear…

It didn't suit her.

She wasn't supposed to be that way. She was supposed to be talkative, jolly, stubborn, hot-headed. That was the Sakura he knew—that girl who he first thought as a boy because she had beaten him in skateboarding when they four.

But now, she seemed different.

And he hated seeing her that way…all because of…_him…_

"I won't let him do that," he resolvedly said through clenched teeth.

Sakura casted a sideways glance at him. "You don't have to do that Syaoran. He's right after all. But you know…I don't really mind. I don't care if he gets all of father's inheritance; I never wanted it anyway. I don't why brother makes a big fuss about it—thinks I'm threat or something even though he knows my existence has been denied from the family—even though when I'm a complete mistake—"

"That's not true."

"…Huh? What's 'not true'?"

"You're not a mistake Sakura. I think you're amazing."

She chuckled. "Try telling that to my brother. But anyway, it's not exactly what's bothering me now. It's about Hikaru and Hikari. Did you notice Hikaru's been getting sick a lot lately?"

Syaoran noticed the huge change in her tone. Sakura was back. No, the _real_ Sakura was back. Her eyes no longer had sadness in them, and her voice was back to its' normal carefree, happy tune, of course, with a little traces of worry, but other than that, she was back to the usual. Syaoran found it to be huge relief.

Yep. That's Sakura all right…never letting fear get the best of her and easily laughing it off.

"Yeah, I noticed that too…"

"Hmmmm…you don't say…he's dying from a disease?"

"…"

"…"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"YEAH RIGHT!"

"AS IF THAT WOULD HAPPEN!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The laughter then abruptly ceased as Sakura spoke, "But kidding aside, I hope he's okay. I'm kind of worried for the guy."

"Maybe he just got sick from the stink bomb a while ago…you know…Mr. Toshiro."

"Yeah. Maybe. Those two…I feel guilty ya' know. They probably did that to get back at the geezer for punishing us…"

"Yep. That sure sounds like something they would do…"

"And maybe that's why they were sort of avoiding us…because maybe they think we blame them for what happened…"

"Hmmm. Maybe."

"Ah…we know them too well. And that's what's bothering me right now. We've known them for ages, yet I feel like they're hiding something from us—something big. And if they were? I'd really get pissed off. They could've at least put a little trust in us."

"I'm sure they'd tell us…_someday_. Whatever it is, maybe they're just trying to find the right time to say it."

"Right time eh? I wonder when that would be…"

"Who knows? After all…

…time works in funny ways."

.

.

.

"Alright. Enough wise talk. Gym's open right? How about a tennis match?"

"Loser cooks dinner tomorrow night?"

"I see no problem with that."

"Alright then. Come on."

* * *

_"Do we really have to? You know…stay away from them, Hikaru?" _

_"We need to…"_

_"But you heard them…they're not mad at us…"_

_"It's not that. Think of it…if we don't keep them away, who knows what could happen if the time comes? I don't want to see them cry nee…I don't want to see anyone cry. Isn't that why we have kept only to ourselves all this time? To prevent that from happening?"_

_"But they befriended us…"_

_A laugh. "Those two got thick skulls. We shooed them away, they kept coming at us, and we just had to give up…_

_…but this time, it's different. I can feel it nee-chan…I can feel time slipping away from my hands."_

_A sob. _

_"Please don't cry nee…please…"_

_But the sobbing didn't stop, and soon enough, the girl broke out into a wail._

* * *

"You know Syaoran, I just thought of something all of a sudden," Sakura said as she hit the ball.

"What?" Syaoran sent it back to her…

...as to which Sakura quickly countered. "Where the hell are we gonna take a bath here? And what about our uniform?"

Syaoran was taken by surprise, making his hit a bit harder than normal, landing at Sakura square in the face.

"OW! WATCH THAT!"

Syaoran only stood there, mouth gaped open. "Shit…"

And then…

…an outburst.

**"WHY ON EARTH HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THAT ONLY JUST NOW?!"**

_-To be continued-_

__**Sorry. Sucky ending, I know. But just bear with it. LOL.**

**Up next…**

**Chapter three**

**A prank gone wrong: Part 2**

**Please watch out! And…**

**Review!**

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	4. This note is important kindly read

**Story:** Intertwined Worlds

**Current status:** On hiatus, up for adoption. Right now, VPvirtuoso and I have agreed that whenever she finishes her current story, this one would be passed over to her account, because in all honesty, I don't know whether I'd be able to push through with this. If ever you are still interested, you can send her a message regarding this one. Feel free to drop her a message; she won't bite. She's a really nice kid.

And to the readers, please accept my utmost apologies.

Of course, VPvirtuoso and I had some conditions we both agreed to. Two, to be exact. First off, she'd mention in the author's note that this one is an original story of mine, and she would be doing was just some sort of repost/remake. Second one, of course, since she's a different author with a different style of writing, she may make some changes here and there to suit her preferences. But don't worry, she promised she wouldn't make much changes, so as to not ruin the original. Plus, she's a really good writer, even though she claims to be a rookie.

That would be all for now, VPvirtuoso and I still have lots to discuss about the matter. But for the meantime, please support her story **The Game of Love!** It's really a good one, just imagine: 40 reviews in just three chapters! Heavens know how I wish to get there someday.

And of course, I would like to grab this opportunity to thank her for everything. For being my PM buddy, and being there to support me in my story, and now, being to one to have willingly agreed to "adopt" it. Thank you so much Abby.

* * *

_Hehe, don't worry Aki-chan, I promise I'd make your story a hit one! Like, totally! What? A hundred reviews? No problem! We'll get there! Ahahaha xDDD Either that, or, I don't know...kill me? LOL just kidding XDDD_

_Love lots!_

_~Abby ^.^_

* * *

That came from our conversation just yesterday. She's such a spirited kid, don't you think? From the looks of it, she seemed to have gained quite a number of friends here already.


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